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February 19, 2015October 4, 2017

If You Love Yourself

If you love yourself, you’ll understand that there are seasons for everything.

We live in a world where people can place an order and expect a delivery, from any corner of the world, to arrive in one to ten business days. The internet runs at the speed of light: the click of a mouse can connect its users with friends and loved ones at a moments notice. The freakiest thing about it all is how quickly this instant gratification culture we live in has managed to screw with our human understanding of human (time sensitive) achievements in life.

Having dreams and goals in life are like planting a seed: you dig deep in search of what you want to cultivate, plant your seeds in a soil that has been fertilized with your hopes and dreams, cover your seeds with soil (away from direct sunlight), and you water and care for your seeds as the groundwork begins.

Once your seeds have taken root, and you see greenery emerging from beneath the soul, there is still more work to be done: now you must ensure that your fledgling plant gets enough sunlight and water, and that it doesn’t grow in too many directions: It must raise up with focus towards the light, and reach as high into the sky as it possibly can. You will also must weed out prickly, irritating, and otherwise weed-like faux plants growing around it (as these are the sort of pseudo plants which can seriously hinder the growth of your crop). When it comes to growing and caring for the dreams and goals that you have planted, naysayers will often come out of the woodwork (like the weeds that they are) in the interest of persuading you to stop nourishing your investment in your dreams. They use tactics that seek to make you unsure of yourself or your abilities, and what you yourself are capable of. They are comfortable with whatever is familiar to them. Naysayers cannot conceive of anything beyond next week, and they fear that ‘overly ambitious people’ will make them feel too small. Naysayers host weekly meetings and block parties every Saturday on Dreamless Avenue. The President of Naysayers, Mr. No I Don’t Believe in Dreams or Miracles, also serves as the CEO and Spokesperson of You Say Yes & I Say Never International. I would rather serve as Chairwoman of ‘How Dreams Come True Associates.’

The most successful people in life often say that to the success they enjoy they had to toil away for years. They encountered roadblocks, heard ‘no’ million and one times, and stared down a mob of naysayer friends, relatives, and prospective colleagues who told them they were dreaming to big. I say stare down all mobs.

We all have the right to try for as long as it takes to see dreams become our reality. For those of us who dream, trying until we succeed is not foolish or exhausting; it’s the only way to get through life. What’s the point of being alive if you don’t have goals or dreams to keep you going? It takes a long time for everything to come together, but it takes away your heart and soul to settle in for mediocrity. Don’t let anyone talk you out of your goals and dreams. Know that your season will come, if you believe in yourself and your dreams.

I’ll leave you with a selection of real time success stories:

Business people:

Henry Ford: “While Ford is today known for his innovative assembly line and American-made cars, he wasn’t an instant success. In fact, his early businesses failed and left him broke five time before he founded the successful Ford Motor Company.”

Walt Disney: “Today Disney rakes in billions from merchandise, movies and theme parks around the world, but Walt Disney himself had a bit of a rough start. He was fired by a newspaper editor because, “he lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” After that, Disney started a number of businesses that didn’t last too long and ended with bankruptcy and failure. He kept plugging along, however, and eventually found a recipe for success that worked.”

Scientists/Thinkers:

Albert Einstein: “….did not speak until he was four and did not read until he was seven, causing his teachers and parents to think he was mentally handicapped, slow and anti-social. Eventually, he was expelled from school and was refused admittance to the Zurich Polytechnic School. It might have taken him a bit longer, but most people would agree that he caught on pretty well in the end, winning the Nobel Prize and changing the face of modern physics.”

Charles Darwin: “In his early years, Darwin gave up on having a medical career and was often chastised by his father for being lazy and too dreamy. Darwin himself wrote, “I was considered by all my masters and my father, a very ordinary boy, rather below the common standard of intellect.” Perhaps they judged too soon, as Darwin today is well-known for his scientific studies.”

Inventors:

Thomas Edison: “In his early years, teachers told Edison he was “too stupid to learn anything.” Work was no better, as he was fired from his first two jobs for not being productive enough. Even as an inventor, Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. Of course, all those unsuccessful attempts finally resulted in the design that worked.”

Entertainment, Writers, & Artists:

Oprah Winfrey: “Oprah faced a hard road to get to that position, however, enduring a rough and often abusive childhood as well as numerous career setbacks including being fired from her job as a television reporter because she was “unfit for TV.”

Sidney Poitier: After his first audition, Poitier was told by the casting director, “Why don’t you stop wasting people’s time and go out and become a dishwasher or something?” Poitier vowed to show him that he could make it, going on to win an Oscar and become one of the most well-regarded actors in the business.”

Vincent Van Gogh: “During his lifetime, Van Gogh sold only one painting, and this was to a friend and only for a very small amount of money. While Van Gogh was never a success during his life, he plugged on with painting, sometimes starving to complete his over 800 known works. Today, they bring in hundreds of millions.”

Stephen King: “The first book by this author, the iconic thriller Carrie, received 30 rejections, finally causing King to give up and throw it in the trash. His wife fished it out and encouraged him to resubmit it, and the rest is history, with King now having hundreds of books published the distinction of being one of the best-selling authors of all time.”

Athletes:

Michael Jordan: “Most people wouldn’t believe that a man often lauded as the best basketball player of all time was actually cut from his high school basketball team. Luckily, Jordan didn’t let this setback stop him from playing the game and he has stated, “I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot, and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

Babe Ruth: “You probably know Babe Ruth because of his home run record (714 during his career), but along with all those home runs came a pretty hefty amount of strikeouts as well (1,330 in all). In fact, for decades he held the record for strikeouts. When asked about this he simply said, “Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.”